Commissioner of Education of the State of New York explained

The Commissioner of Education of the State of New York is the head of the State Education Department, chosen by the Board of Regents. The Commissioner also serves as the President of the University of the State of New York office. Generally, the Regents set policy while the Commissioner has responsibility for carrying out policy.^[1]

List of commissioners

Andrew Sloan Draper	1904 - 1913
John Huston Finley	1913 - 1921
Frank Pierrepont Graves	1921 - 1940
Ernest E. Cole	1940 - 1942
George D. Stoddard	1942 - 1945
Francis T. Spaulding	1946 - 1950
Lewis A. Wilson	1950 - 1955
James Edward Allen, Jr.	1955 - 1969 ^[2]
Ewald Nyquist	1969 - 1976
Gordon M. Ambach	1976 - 1986
Thomas Sobol	1987 - 1995
Richard Paul Mills	1995 - 2009
David Miller Steiner	2009 - 2011
John King Jr.	2011 - 2014
MaryEllen Elia	2015 - 2019
Shannon L. Tahoe	2019 - 2020
Betty A. Rosa	2020 - Present

Notes and References

New York State Education Department, Web site: NYSED::Description of NY's Education System . 2010-08-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100804210349/http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/NYSEducationSystem.htm . 2010-08-04 .
News: Eighth State Commissioner, Youngest in the Office, Seeks Public Support Chancellor Gives 'Charge' Veto of Long Island College . Dr. James E. Allen Jr. today became the state's eighth Commissioner of Education. ... Dr. Andrew Sloan Draper became the first Commissioner, holding office from 1904 to 1913. ... . . May 5, 1956 . 2014-07-30 .